When I was a freshman in college I was a passenger in a car accident. I was riding with some extended family members to the reception for a cousin’s wedding when I’m told an 80’s Cadillac ran a red light and crashes into the passenger side of the Mitsubishi Mirage.
I don’t remember most of that day due to a concussion. My grandmother was in the car and had a serious head injury and a cousin ended up with a broken arm. Thankfully, everyone was able to recover eventually.
The driver was uninsured and our insurance paid out $10,000 to help cover medical costs. My parents covered the medical costs for me and let me have the entire $10,000. Needing a car, I used it to buy my first car.
While car shopping I found a Porsche 911 that I later realized was a G-body Carrera 3.2 that was for sale for just over $8,000. I had found the car at a classic car delaeship and had checked it out in person. I went home and told my parents, but my Mom said no and after much discussion, I eventually bought a 1973 Mercedes-Benz 280C instead.
Of course if I had managed to get that car and were to have held on to it, that would have been worth considerably more right now. But, if I had all the cars that I almost bought that are now worth considerably more, I would be afraid to drive all of them.
Around this time Porsche released their first water cooled 911. The 996 generation was a major evolution for the iconic sports car. At the time it seemed like I would probably never get to own one, but things certainly changed.
These days a G-body car in good condition can get in the $100,000 price range. Similar high prices are a constant for all air-cooled 911’s.
In the water-cooled 911 world the 997, 991 and 992 generations will cost you $50,000 or more for a good condition car, often with higher mileage. All this means you can’t get a 1998 or earlier 911 or a 2005 or newer example for a reasonable price.
That leaves the 1999-2004 model year Porsche 911’s (there is also 2005 model year turbo 996 generation cars) as the only affordable choice. While prices have risen over the past five years, an early Porsche 911 Carrera can still be found for about $20,000 if you go for a Tiptronic automatic model. The six-speed manual will raise prices to about $30,000 or a bit more.
While the days of finding a decent 996 generation Porsche 911 for $15,000 are gone, they are still an affordable option to get into a 911. While about $20,000 is the low end for a good car, something like a Carrera 4S will fetch closer to $45,000. The 911 Turbo will cost over $60,000 for a good condition car with many fetching more. The GT2 and GT3 now will cost you over $100,000.
The 996 generation has been the least loved 911 generation for a while. But, with the market starting to appreciate that the cars drive very well, prices are starting to show it.
The headlights, interior and potential IMS bearing failure for the non-Turbo, non-GT cars, have long kept the prices down. Thanks to YouTube reviews letting people know that the IMS bearing can be addressed and some years have a very low failure rate, there is less fear of the 996 options.
While no sports car is unbreakable and the market has started to appreciate the 996 generation Porsche 911, it is the last affordable entry point into 911 ownership. If you are wanting to get a 911, but want to stay in an affordable price range (a good idea, so you have some extra cache for any repairs), the 996 generation is now the last option as most 911’s seem to fetch more and more each day.
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